Airelles Takes Over Le Guanahani in St. Barth, Its First Caribbean Maison, November 1

Airelles is heading to the Caribbean. The group confirmed on October 6 that Le Guanahani, one of the best-known resorts on Saint-Barthélemy, will reopen on November 1, 2026 as Airelles Le Guanahani, the tenth Maison in its collection, its first hotel outside Europe and its first beachfront hotel.

The handover ends Rosewood's run at the property. Rosewood managed the resort from its post-hurricane reopening in 2021 and stopped operating it on October 1, after LOV Group, the holding company of Airelles owner Stéphane Courbit, bought the hotel. The purchase price has not been disclosed. The resort is closed for October while the brands change over.

What is the resort like?

Le Guanahani sits at the tip of a private peninsula on the island's northeastern coast, between Grand Cul-de-Sac Lagoon and Maréchal Bay and facing Turtle Island. The seven-hectare estate, about 18 acres, has two beaches and lies inside a protected nature reserve. It first opened in 1986 and was closed for four years after Hurricane Irma in 2017 before a full rebuild.

There are 66 keys: 29 rooms, 28 suites and nine signature suites, set in individual Creole-style cottages with colorful wooden verandas opening onto terraces and gardens. Twenty of them have private pools.

What changes under Airelles?

The food and drink lineup is new. La Table du Guanahani serves breakfast and lunch, then switches to an à la carte dinner menu with Caribbean influences. The Grill will run a program of pop-ups led by resident chefs, and three bars round it out: Le Pélican on the beach, The Library in the lobby and the Pool Bar.

The spa becomes Airelles Spa x LBA, made with Laboratoires Botanique Avancée, with treatments built around cellular regeneration and an adults-only pool. There is also an infinity pool over the lagoon, a Beach Club for water sports, a children's club called Turtle Camp and a teen space called The Spot. Airelles has said it has no new renovation planned for now, so the rooms guests will find in November are the ones rebuilt for the 2021 reopening.

Why does it matter for St. Barth?

With 66 keys, Le Guanahani is the largest hotel on an island where most luxury stays are villas or small boutique hotels, according to trade outlet Hospitality ON. The takeover gives Airelles a direct rival in LVMH's Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France, with Eden Rock and Le Toiny as the other top-end choices. Airelles' recent record is strong: Airelles Palladio in Venice opened in April and earned three Michelin Keys in September.

What to know before booking

Airelles has not published rates, and it is not yet clear how stays booked under Rosewood carry over, so anyone holding a reservation for this winter should confirm it directly with the hotel. Families are the obvious fit, given the kids and teen clubs and the calm lagoon side of the peninsula. For peak weeks around Christmas and New Year, the pool suites will be the first to go.